What does a Genuine Reader Look Like?

The elephant in the room is that, unfortunately, “fake” readers and mediums that practice primarily cold reading for the sake of monetary gain do exist. Some skeptics of tarot, healings, reiki, and other occult crafts are skeptical because of valid reason, and some of those reasons do involve negative experiences with “readers.”

First, a few disclaimers. There is always the possibility that the reading you are receiving does not resonate with you for reasons other than the reader being a straight up fraud. These possibilities include:

The question asked wasn’t something you were meant to know the answer to. This happens most commonly with something like, “When will I die?” or “How does Sally feel about Susie?” (when you are neither Sally nor Susie).

The reader was just having a bad or off day. Not all doctors give the correct diagnoses with perfect accuracy, not all therapists will give you the best advice every session. The same goes for your reader. We are human, and possibly psychic, but still human.

You just aren’t compatible. I’ll make the same comparison with doctors and therapists (although your reader is not either of those things; please don’t treat them like a doctor or therapist!). You could have a great connection with one therapist, and a not so strong understanding with another. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are intrinsically “good” or “bad” therapists, but it does mean that one is better or more suited for you personally.

With that out of the way, here are some signs that the reading you are receiving is genuine.

They aren’t pushing some sort of extra healing for an extra price, claiming all of your chakras are misaligned, or anything like that, especially when you don’t really feel that way. This isn’t at all to say people who suggest or offer healings are frauds by any means, but pushy claims that you need a healing after you’ve already received a reading is something to look out for.

As a general rule, a good psychic will be one that wants you to live your life independently of their readings, and wants to advise you to the point that you don’t need something extra. If it seems more like they’re trying to reel you in constantly, perhaps look elsewhere.

This one is the most difficult to describe, but most people who have received readings from genuine readers know that it feels different. When you listen to them speak, or read what they’ve written, you just get that feeling that this person really understood you in a different way. The biggest way to judge whether or not a reader is genuine is honestly with your own gut and intuition.

They have set up clear guidelines for the readings they will and will not do. All psychics have different boundaries, but someone who seems like they’re willing to do literally anything is someone to not trust.

On that same vein, they are upfront about the skills, experience, and talents they possess. For example, I am not a medium, so I inform my clients not to ask me to contact the deceased. A psychic who is not clear about their experiences with healing, reading, mediumship, or anything else in their information is one I avoid.

Letting someone read you involves a serious amount of trust. In a lot of cases, you are literally giving a near stranger the ability to look into your life, feelings, and intimate situations.

I do believe genuine readers outnumber the disingenuous ones, but there will always be the handful that is out for themselves. If something feels icky to you, trust that feeling, and look elsewhere.